Privacy Policy
Effective Date: January 20, 2024
This policy outlines the information BirdsMania collects, how we use it, and steps taken to protect user privacy and security. We respect site visitor and community member rights while providing a platform to share knowledge on bird species and conservation.
Information We Collect
As a non-commercial educational blog run by volunteers, BirdsMania avoids extensive data collection when possible. Any personal details submitted are through explicit opt-in decisions. However, we do gather some usage statistics, comments, and social sharing as detailed below:
- Analytics on traffic to improve site quality
- IP addresses and activity logs for security filters
- Names and email addresses if signing up for newsletter
- Usernames if creating an account to comment
- Demographic data if participating in surveys
- Social media shares and tags
- Comments, forum posts, submitted images and art
How We Use Information The core BirdsMania team analyzes traffic patterns, social engagement, email open rates, survey data, and site interactions to understand visitor needs and guide decisions on improving content. Commentary enables community connections.
Any personal details are used exclusively for site notifications, attribution, interacting on features opted into, and contacting newsletter subscribers. Email addresses are only leveraged for messages users sign up to receive related to birds, wildlife conservation, nature travel, or community site updates like policy changes. They are not rented, traded, or sold.
Data Protection
BirdsMania takes reasonable precautions to secure information collected through SSL encryption, password protected accounts, multi-factor authentication, and permission settings. However as an open forum focused on public knowledge sharing, we cannot guarantee total privacy. Users post content viewable by the community at their own discretion.
Our site is meant for those aged 13+ with parental guidance. We avoid targeting minors and do not intentionally gather youth details. Promptly report any policy violations like harassment so we can remove offensive content and ban such accounts when appropriate.
Cookie Use
Cookies help BirdsMania curate site activity, customize interfaces based on location or past visits, streamline payments in shop features, understand usage across devices, and show relevant promotions. They enhance interactions without exposing private data. Visitors can control cookie settings on their browser, but disabling them may impact platform performance.
Third Party Tracking and Opt Outs
BirdsMania uses trusted partners like Mailchimp for email newsletters and Google Analytics for aggregated traffic insights and security filters. We choose secure, privacy-focused vendors believed to have adequate protocols themselves. However you can opt out of third party data sharing using options they provide if desired.
While this educational blog has minor monetization like an affiliate shop, there are no highly targeted ads through networks exploiting visitor data. The contextual promotions shown simply align with our birding focus.
Rights and Revisions
Users can request archives of any data we store related to site activity at any time. Simply email birdsmaniablog@gmail.com. You can also unsubscribe from all BirdsMania messages using the links provided or by directly contacting us. This privacy policy is subject to updates as policies and laws shift so please review periodically. We will share significant changes directly with the community through the newsletter, forums, social channels, and site notices. Please direct any data usage questions or transparency suggestions to the same general email above to assist our small leadership team.